Blackwell's Dayle McGaha to be honored by Journalism Hall of Fame

Twenty longtime journalists and a prominent broadcast family will be among those honored at the 55th annual induction ceremony of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, including longtime Blackwell Journal-Tribune writer Dayle McGaha 

The induction ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, May 9, in the grand ballroom of the Nigh University Center at the University of Central Oklahoma. A reception toasting the honorees will occur at 5 p.m. in the University Center’s Heritage Room.

This year’s event will be highlighted by:

The 2025 Class of Dean Blevins, Owen Canfield, David Christy, David Fallis, Thomas C. Maupin, Vicki Monks, Oscar Pea, Dawn Shelton, Marshall L. Stewart and Mike Strain.

The 55th Anniversary Posthumous Class includes Frederick Barde, Nolen Bulloch, Louisa McCune, Dayle McGaha, Johnny McMahan, Ora Eddleman Reed, Louise Earthman Rucks, Ellie Sutter, Jack Stamper and Bill Teegins.

Lifetime Achievement induction of the late Jack Ogle and his sons, Kevin, Kent and Kelly.

The dedication of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame Museum in the Liberal Arts building on the UCO campus. The dedication of the new museum will be at 4 p.m. May 9. 

The ceremony will include a special film on the museum’s content and is being produced by hall of fame members Tony Stizza and Galen Culver with special assistance from OJHF intern/scholarship winner Jake Ramsey.

 “We decided to move the induction ceremony to an evening event this year because of the 55th anniversary and the large number of honorees this year,” said Director Joe Hight, who is also UCO’s Edith Kinney Gaylord Endowed Chair of Journalism Ethics and an OJHF member since 2013. “As with the 50th anniversary, we wanted to make this one a special while focusing on the journalists who have excelled both in this state and the country. This year’s honorees are exceptional in many ways.

 All 24 honorees will become members of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, which now has inducted more than 525 members since its beginning.

They were chosen from among more than 100 nominations submitted to the hall of fame. They were first selected by a 15-member Finalist Committee and then a 12-member Selection Committee via a balloting process. All on the committees were hall of fame members and representatives of diverse types of media and journalism organizations.

Invitations to the induction luncheon will be sent by the first of March, and reservations at $75 each must be made by April. More information can be found by going to the hall of fame website at okjournalismhalloffame.com. Sponsorship tables can be purchased starting at $1,000 per table. 

The Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame was founded in 1971 by former UCO Journalism Chair Dr. Ray Tassin and Dennie Hall, with both serving as directors. Hight is the fourth director and succeeded Dr. Terry Clark. All members are featured on the hall of fame website. Past honoree plaques are on display at the hall of fame gallery on the third floor of UCO’s Nigh University Center.

McGaha served as publisher of the Blackwell Journal-Tribune for 20 years and held various positions during his decades-long career. He was proudest of having the unofficial job title of “mentor” to young journalists and in helping women obtain leadership roles. 

He started as the newspaper’s mailroom attendant and also worked in the classified advertising department. After college and the U.S. Army, he returned to the Journal-Tribune. 

He worked briefly at the McAlester and Pryor newspapers, before permanently staying in Blackwell. He was advertising manager until publisher Warren Bickford III died in 1980. He was then named general manager and later publisher, a position he held until retirement in 2000. McGaha’s primary focus was to support the Blackwell community with quality news and information.